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FAA: Pilots Rely Too Much on Automation

On
June 1, 2009, Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after going
into a high-altitude stall. All 228 people on the plane were killed.
Investigators would later say the crash was caused by pilot error, as it
appeared that the pilots never realized the plane was in a stall before it
plunged into the ocean.

On
July 6, 2013, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed during a botched landing
attempt at San Francisco International Airport. Three young girls were killed and dozens sustained injuries. The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not issued a final report on the crash,
though their investigation has so far revealed that the pilots' heavy reliance
on automated cockpit equipment likely contributed to the plane's ill-fated
approach.

Earlier
this week, a Russian plane crashed after plunging to the ground in a
near-vertical nosedive. All 50 people aboard the plane were killed. The
investigation into the crash is only in the early stages, though reports have
indicated that a series of faulty maneuvers on the part of the pilot may have
caused the crash.

In
response to recent high-profile crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) is expected to release a report detailing just how much commercial pilots
rely on automation, as well as recommendations to improve safety. Computer
navigation systems, autopilot, auto-throttles and other automation on aircraft
are supposed to improve safety by eliminating the potential for pilot error.
But these new technologies come with a downside since pilots that rely too
heavily on these technologies run the risk of having their manual piloting skills
deteriorate over time.

Pilot
reliance on automation systems is a "growing concern worldwide" for
the aviation industry, said aviation expert Chesley "Sully"
Sullenberger on
CBS 'This Morning'. At present, airlines in the U.S. "only provide the
FAA-mandated amount" of training, which Sullenberger believes is "not
enough."

To
address these concerns, the FAA report will include 18 recommendations to
improve safety, such as better pilot training on cockpit devices, improved
design of automated cockpit systems, and enhanced procedures for dealing with
system malfunctions or mistakes. According
to Bloomberg, the FAA has "taken action" on the 18
recommendations, and FAA Administrator Michael
Huerta has scheduled a meeting with airlines to discuss other voluntary steps
to improve pilot training.

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